This year marks the fifth anniversary of Ghost of Tsushimathe 2020 PlayStation action RPG that was both a Love letter to classic samurai movies. and one of the most engaging video game experiences of the 21st century. In addition to Chad Stahelski’s long-in-the-making film based on the fact that the game is one of the most anticipated upcoming video game adaptationswe are also receiving Ghost of Tsushima: Legendsa new anime series from Crunchyroll.
As a long-time fan of the game (seriously, go play it), I’m beyond excited to see how Ghost of Tsushima and his Legends The multiplayer expansion will become an anime series in the coming years. And I’m probably not the only one wondering how certain aspects of the game will be handled in this small screen adaptation. That being said, here are five things I can’t wait to see…
It looks like the anime series will focus on the ‘Legends’ add-on, but I hope Jin Sakai’s story isn’t left out
In January 2025, crispy roll announced during Sony’s CES press conference that the two would be teaming up to Ghost of Tsushima: Legends with a release window scheduled for 2027. Given that the upcoming anime series takes its title from the multiplayer expansion released several months after the main game in 2020, I can’t help but feel that this will be more of a bonus adaptation. mode where players team up to face all kinds of supernatural enemies inspired by Japanese mythology. While that sounds promising, I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t see Jin Sakai’s story, which looks like something out of one of Akira Kurosawa’s classicsplay too.
Jin, the main character of Ghost of Tsushimahad one of the most engaging, emotional, and transformative arcs of any video game character of the last decade, which says a lot considering there’s been no shortage of incredible narrative-heavy games. I hope we see that impressive opening battle sequence with the Mongol invaders, his journey as the “Phantom” and his heartbreaking story with Lord Shimura, his uncle who did not agree with his new tactics of fighting the invading forces.
I hope the series has a mix of samurai and horror elements introduced into the game.
if he Ghost of Tsushima: Legends The series ends up taking elements from both the main game and the multiplayer expansion, I can’t wait to see how they are represented in the anime format. There is a long history of horror-influenced anime movies and showsand I have reason to believe that the new adaptation will be no different.
On the one hand, you have the more grounded approach to the main game with its story about a young samurai who goes to great lengths (and incredibly violent and unorthodox lengths) to protect Tsushima Island from invading forces. On the other hand, in the Legends Additionally, you have missions in which different warriors come together to fight demonic enemies taken from Japanese mythology.
Less grounded and more fantasy, the multiplayer game had a lot of great horror elements that I think can work very well in an anime series. With director Takanobu Mizuno, who previously worked on Star Wars: Visionsleading the charge, I think that balance won’t be too difficult to achieve.
I also can’t wait to see how the supernatural worlds and enemies of the ‘legends’ are portrayed.
Anyone who has played the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends The game knows that the multiplayer expansion has some eye-catching, albeit terrifying, supernatural worlds and enemies that contrast starkly with the more realistic aesthetic of the main game. I really can’t wait to see how those kingdoms and the enemies found in each of them work in anime format, because it could be really amazing.
Obviously, this is something that would be difficult to do in the Ghost of Tsushima movie that’s been in development for a few years, but it’s totally possible in the anime, especially with a top-notch team of animators putting everything together. While I have questions about how those worlds and enemies will be depicted, I’m excited to see if they’re taken directly from the game or given a new look exclusive to the show.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Gyozen, the narrator, fits into the show
Gyozen the Storyteller is just one of the many non-playable characters, or NPCs, of Legends That made the game a lot of fun. For those unfamiliar with the key figure, he was a storyteller who traveled around the island of Tsushima and shared stories of ancient warriors who long ago protected the land. Interacting with him would start one of the missions in multiplayer, in which he would act as narrator.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Gyozen appeared again as the series’ narrator and set up each story (the exact episode count has yet to be announced), which is something we’ve seen in shows like And if…? on Disney+. The show, which ended at the end of 2024although it featured Jeffrey Wright’s The Watcher setting up each story was often involved. I’m not sure if it will be the same for Gyozen, but it would be fun to know more about the narrator’s own story.
Ghost Of Tsushima doesn’t hold back on violence, and I’m excited to see how that is portrayed in the series
Tsushima It is a violent game. No, not the exaggerated levels of violence seen in people like mortal kombat oh gears of warbut pretty much what you’d expect from a game that combines samurai battles, stealth assassinations, and some gnarly duels before the credits roll. I can’t wait to see how that element is represented in the series.
Depending on which route the series takes, we could see Jin Sakai using arrows, swords, knives, and other unique ways to defeat the Mongols, Straw Hats, and other enemies in the game, or we could see the ancient heroes facing off against possessed soldiers. and supernatural entities. Either way, I’m excited.
(Bonus): But I hope this doesn’t mean Chad Stahelski’s Ghost Of Tsushima movie is on ice
when John Wick: Chapter 4 was released in March 2023, I wrote about how the film made me excited by Chad Stahelski Ghost of Tsushima film more than any other project from the stuntman-turned-director, and that still stands. However, since no new information has surfaced about the film in quite some time, I’m starting to worry about the project. I really hope that the Legends The anime series doesn’t mean we won’t see Stahelski’s current action film.
There is enough room in the world for both projects to come out without harming each other. If anything, they could boost each other by offering different adaptations of the great game. We’ll see.
While we wait for more information on Ghost of Tsushima: Legendsas well as the Yotei Ghost game scheduled for release this year, there are many movies of 2025 and even more TV shows of 2025 to hold us back.
